Nov – 16: TALL TALK
Dangerously misleading
The print advt reads: “Introducing India’s first diabetes care oil – Fortune VIVOâ€. It is accompanied by claims like “helps reduce high blood sugar levelâ€, “improves insulin sensitivity†and “lowers high blood pressureâ€. In a country like India which is the global leader in diabetes cases, it is dangerous to make such strong claims which can mislead people into relying on a cooking oil to control a serious condition.
We wrote to ASCI about our objections. ASCI upheld our complaint saying the claims were not substantiated and were misleading. The advertisement claims: “Supported by Diabetes Care Indiaâ€. But ASCI noted that it is not a competent body to validate the clinical research data. ASCI found the claims misleading by ambiguity.
The advertiser had assured ASCI that the said advt had been discontinued. However, the advertiser has now filed a case in court and the matter is currently sub-judice. However, CERC would like to caution readers not to believe that using a particular cooking oil can control diabetes.
Sweet nothings?